The son of Emich Carl Fürst zu Leiningen and Marie Luise Victoire Prinzessin von Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld (English: Mary Louise Victoria Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld); through his mother, who married Prince Edward Prince of Kent (29 May 1818), he was half-brother of Alexandrina Victoria, future Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; educated by private tutors; attended a private school in Bern, Switzerland; studied law at the University of Göttingen (1821-1823); spent long periods of time in England with his mother; succeeded to the estates of Leiningen after the death of his father (4 Jul 1814); member of the Kammer der Reichsräte (Chamber of Reich Counselors) of the Kingdom of Bavaria (from 1819); member of the Erste Kammer (First Chamber) of Grand Duchy of Hesse (from 1820); member of the Erste Kammer (First Chamber) of Grand Duchy of Baden (from 1833); one of the founders of the Adelsverein (1842), an association for directing German immigration to America; president of the Bavarian Chamber of Reich Counselors (1842-1843, 1845-1846, 1847); was known as liberal and progressive thinker, advocating introduction of the parliamentary system of government and the abolition of aristocratic privilege; backed by the Zentralisationspartei (Party of Centralization), was appointed President of the Reich Council of Ministers (5 Aug 1848) by Imperial Vicar Johann; put forward political program of the Reichsdiktatur; offered his resignation (5 Sep 1848) after the voting on the issue of armistice in the war with Denmark, unilaterally concluded by Prussia; continued to lead the government as Interim President (5 Sep 1848 - 16 Sep 1848) until his resignation was finally accepted.

Appointment of ministers and undersecretaries by the Reich Vicar were made by the instruments of appointment dated 5 Aug 1848 and 9 Aug 1848 (Frankfurter Oberpostamts-Zeitung, Beilage zu Nro. 223, Donnerstag, 10. August 1848, p. 1). A report on the appointment of the whole council was dated 9 Aug 1848 and submitted to the Constituent National Assembly 10 Aug 1848 (Verhandlungen der deutschen constituierenden Nationalversammlung, 2:1465-1466).

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A report of Leiningen dated 6 Sep 1848, concerning the resignation of the Council of Ministers, is submitted the Constituent National Assembly 8 Sep 1848 (Verhandlungen der deutschen constituierenden Nationalversammlung, 3:1919).